With the All-Star rosters including five centers, the NBA has not had so much talent at the position since the mid-1990s.
The history of the NBA can be defined by eras starting with Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell to today’s rivalry of Lebron James versus the “super” team of the Golden State Warriors. The Association has been blessed with a variety of storylines to drive its product for nearly all the 70 years it’s been around.Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird. Michael ‘Air’ Jordan’s Bulls. The Detroit Pistons‘ “Bad Boys.” Gregg Popovich’s Spurs.
They all displayed the ever-changing trends of the NBA game. From physicality to finesse, and the low post to the three-point line, the NBA has had a multitude of different styles help teams claim the Naismith trophy.
Consistently through the years, one big factor has played a substantial part on how these teams become so dominate — the center position. The man in the middle not only has become the catalyst defensively by blocking up the lane, but they have been some of the most dominant scorers in the history of the league.
Five of the 10 all-time leading scorers in NBA history played the center position, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Moses Malone and Elvin Hayes, with that quintet showing the scoring prowess rivaling, and in some cases, surpassing the greatest guards and forwards. The “Big Man” is seemingly always the center of attention.
The 90s saw the “Golden Era” of the center. Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and Dikembe Mutombo are just a few names of the greats that clogged up the middle. Even a guy like Rik Smits was effective enough to help the Indiana Pacers advance to the NBA Finals.
But something happened in the mid-2000s to centers. They became an after-thought in a game being played out on the wings and behind the three point line.
The Miami Heat’s championship with Shaq and Dwyane Wade marked the end of the dominant rim protector and physical low-post scorer. Of course, Shaq played out a few more years in the league, but his prime really ended in Miami.
A new player started to fill the role in the middle. Two types of players evolved from the changing of the guard. A well-rounded player that was relied on to score with the ability to pass, shoot and defend beyond the cylinder. When Pau and Marc Gasol entered the league, they brought a whole new style to the big man position. Not only could they play the low-post, but they could extend out to shoot a mid-range jumper.
The second was a specialist, in most regards, defensively, such as Ben and Rasheed Wallace. The Wallaces were known for their magnificent defensive ability in rebounding and blocking shots — skills that would help the Pistons capture their first titles since the “Bad Boys” in the 80s.
It became a dark age for the quintessential big man for the next five to six years, though.
Today, the center is back with more skill, more ferociousness and the biggest fear factor since Shaq’s dominant Laker years. The uniqueness of the position is strictly based on how the team utilizes their big man. Some are made superstars, while others are the glue that maintains cohesion of the group on the floor.
No matter the role, 2017 marks the “Renaissance of the Big Man.”
The All-Stars
This year’s All-Star Game will feature four full-time centers and a part-time center in the Cavs‘ Kevin Love. It’s a mix of youth and experience, with all five being key to their team’s success and failure. While you can make an argument that Philly‘s Joel Embiid and Minnesota‘s Karl-Anthony Towns should be a part of this group, the five that will represent certainly have earned their place.To find a building block in the NBA, one of the first places to look is the University of Kentucky. Anthony Davis became the first pick of the New Orleans Hornets in the 2012 NBA Draft. “The Brow” has lived up to the hype, having been selected to the last four all-star games. This year he has averaged 28 points and 12 boards a game. But for as much on-court command as he has on offense, his great strength is laying down the law on defense.
Another Wildcat product that will be making his third All-Star Game appearance is the Kings‘ Demarcus Cousins. The embattled “Boogie” can be as equally beneficial, or as detrimental, to a franchise’s success or failure. The Sacramento Kings have not benefited from the impressive repertoire that Cousins brings to the table, having not yet made the playoffs during his time with the team. It seems like there is always chatter about Sacramento trading the star, but to get that type of talent, one would have to pay a “King’s Ransom.”
The Gasols may be the first brothers in basketball with all of the accolades they have received over the last decade. While Pau has contributed to the Kobe Bryant championship years, Marc has been the main man in Memphis. With no Pau at this year’s exhibition, Marc will continue the Gasol All-Star legacy. The Spanish international, who makes his home at the “Grindhouse”, exemplifies just that. As a second round pick in 2007, the younger Gasol has grinded his way to his third All-Star Weekend appearance.
DeAndre Jordan and Love round out the bigs during the NBA showcase. Jordan, who was also a second-round pick, will be the lone member of “Lob City” to make this year’s All-Star roster. A defensive stalwart and pick and roll perfectionist, Jordan spurned the Mavericks to remain a Clipper during the 2015 offseason. Kevin Love, one of the best shooters to play the position, will be joining teammates Lebron James and Kyrie Irving for the East. The defending champ has been essentially the third option for the Cavaliers while averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds this season.
The Future
From this year’s All-Stars to future All-Stars, this group of five have been turning heads since the first day they stepped onto the court. Playing in cities like New York, Philadelphia and Miami, the footsteps are massive, but this group has the skills and personality to fill them.The fans from the City of Brotherly Love waited a long time for Embiid to lace ’em up and return the Sixers to prominence. Sam Hinkie’s vision of “The Process” is starting to come to fruition, and that is evident in the impact that Embiid has had this season. Though limited by a minute restriction, when on the floor, the former Kansas Jayhawk has done it all, from rebound to scoring, as he is averaging close to three blocks a game. If this is what we should expect from Embiid, who can imagine what he will do with Ben Simmons distributing the rock.
If the NBA is envisioning a reincarnation of the rivalry between Russell and Chamberlain, it may find it in Embiid and Towns. Towns, along with Andrew Wiggins and Zach Lavine, make the Timberwolves a team to watch for the future. Under the watchful defensive mind of Tom Thibodeau, this young trio will be versatile on offense and defense. If K.A.T.’s best years are to come, then his recent stretch of 30-plus points a game has no ceiling.
As trade rumors swirl around Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, the time where Kristaps Porzingis as lead dog is quickly arriving. When Phil Jackson was able to select “The Unicorn” with the fourth pick in the 2015 Draft, he knew what a gifted player he was getting in the Latvian. Porzingis was viewed as a project when analyzed prior to the draft. It’s now obvious to all that this “project” will shortly become the Marquee on Broadway.
It’s rare that a talent like Myles Turner falls out of the top ten picks of the draft. The Pacers benefited from a great draft class, snagging the former Texas Longhorn that late. Turner has been inconsistent in his first season and a half in the league. That may have changed this month, where Turner is contributing 18 points and seven rebounds for the surging Pacers.
If Turner was a steal, then Hassan Whiteside was highway robbery. The Heat benefited from grabbing Whiteside at the right time. After bouncing around the Developmental League and being waived by a few teams, the seven-footer has found a home and a big contract with Pat Riley’s crew. There are some concerns that he is unable to stay on the floor, but when active, Whiteside provides additional heat in South Beach.
The Old Guard
Today’s veteran centers have paved the way for this new school wave of big man. Each provided different attributes that have contributed to the growth and evolution of the position. From a dunk champion to the smarts of the Stanford graduates, today’s veterans revived the position.The heir apparent to Shaq in Orlando and Los Angeles was supposed to be Dwight Howard. Though Howard possessed a game of physicality similar to O’Neal, the two personalities on the court could not have been more different. Defensively, he has shined, winning a Defensive Player of the Year Award three times. Where Howard becomes a trendsetter and further progresses the center position, is his win in the Slam Dunk Contest. That marked the first time a true center won the contest.
Stanford’s “twin towers”, Brook and Robin Lopez, may be twins, but their games differ in many ways. Brooklyn’s Bro-Lo is a natural scorer and has great ability from the mid-range jumper to the low post. Robin, on the other hand, plays a “blue-collar” type ball, working and hustling for every rebound and clogging the lane. The eight-year veterans, who were selected only five picks apart, continue to provide Brooklyn and Chicago intelligence at the position.
There have been plenty of European centers to enter the league, but not many have become more accomplished than Pau Gasol. Arguably the best Spanish product the NBA has seen, Gasol is a two-time NBA champion. As Kobe’s wingman post-Shaq, Gasol has turned his type of “euro-style” basketball into the norm. Players like Porzingis, Embiid and Nikola Vucevic all can credit Gasol for his consistency shining on the biggest of stages.
No players embody the importance of a building a relationship between the center and power forward than the Celtics’ Al Horford and Pistons’ Andre Drummond. Horford, along with Joakim Noah, helped the Florida Gators capture back to back NCAA Championships. While Horford was a more prominent scorer, Noah provided the defensive end of the partnership. It looked like when the Atlanta Hawks brought in Paul Millsap to play alongside Horford, they followed the template of the Gators, but this past season Horford opted to take his talents to Boston.
Drummond, on the other hand, saw his post-mate Greg Monroe ship up to Milwaukee. But the center of attention in the Motor City has shown that no matter who stands with him, he can still thrive while averaging an impressive double-double, showing that adaptability is the key to success for any big man.
Euro-center Party
Vlade Divac, Arvydas Sabonis and the Gasol brothers have paved the way for the “euro-Center”. A player of this ilk not only must be able to be a proficient scorer, they must have the ability to distribute the basketball. The NBA has benefited from its promotions to globalize the game, pulling talent from all over the continents of Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. The euro-Center, like a high school player in baseball, has been seen as an asset that teams will draft at a very young age and allow to develop overseas.A group which includes Vucevic, Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic, Clint Capela and Jonas Valanciunas have created this second influx of European players making their mark in the NBA. Each of them has displayed the attributes of the euro-players before them while adding even more versatility and athleticism.
France’s Gobert and the Swiss Capela have become bonafide number two options for the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets, respectively. Jokic and Valanciunas are double-double machines while producing havoc in the lane on defense. Vucevic has become a Brook Lopez type player, where he can be relied on as the first option for the Orlando Magic. No matter the role, the euro-Center is helping evolve the game, as was evident in the Olympic Games.
The Lunch Pail Gang
Not all centers become stars. Sometimes success is just going to work and getting dirty. Regardless of your basketball pedigree, to make it in the NBA you have to be willing to do what the other guy won’t.Cody Zeller, Mason Plumlee, Steven Adams and Marcin Gortat have all carved out this role as “lunch pail players.”
The “lunch pail player” is the ideal complement to the NBA superstar — a player willing to protect the superstar from the hard fouls that are often applied to them. They’re also a player there to grab an offensive rebound from an ill-advised shot, be on the other end of a give and go, distribute to the star accurately and precisely and to be the silent assassin.
Not everyone can be the “star.”But if you can contribute and stay on the court, being a seven-footer can be a financial windfall.
The center position in the game has never been filled with as much depth as it is right now, leaving fans of the two-way player in awe with what these massive individuals can do with a ball.
The return of the center is officially here.